Results will help shape future commercial energy-efficiency mandates

For more information or to apply to the new pilot program to encourage Boulder businesses to track their energy use, contact Business Sustainability Specialist Elizabeth Vasatka at 303-441-1964 or vasatkae@bouldercolorado.govby Nov. 30. Read more about the city's commercial energy-efficiency standard at bouldercolorado.gov/cap .

Boulder is offering free "energy coaches" to interested businesses as part of a pilot program to get more companies to measure and track their energy use.

The pilot program is part of a larger effort by the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the commercial and industrial sectors, which accounted for 83 percent of Boulder's energy use in a 2006 analysis. Depending on how the pilot program goes, Boulder could start requiring businesses to report their energy rating to the city next year.

City officials said they hope a wide variety of commercial and industrial businesses apply so that they can get a complete picture of energy use in those sectors and determine which types of energy data to collect and how to simplify the data-sharing process.

Participating businesses will use the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program to track and rate their energy, which they will share with the city. Portfolio Manager was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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They companies also will receive free assistance from energy coaches to help them evaluate the energy use data and identify opportunities to save money through energy-efficiency improvements.

The pilot program will run through December.

The city already has helped more than 1,300 businesses and building owners through its energy-efficiency programs.

Validating energy efficiency

Elevations Credit Union started using Portfolio Manager five years ago to establish its baseline energy use and track savings as it embarked on a series of energy-efficiency upgrades, including replacing an outdated heating and air-conditioning system, installing automated lighting controls and improving the parking lot lighting.

The credit union was recognized by the city's 10 for Change program in 2009 for reducing its energy use by 11.5 percent and is on track to achieve an EnergyStar rating in 2013, said Sam Cohen, assistant vice president for facilities.

Cohen said Portfolio Manager is easy to use -- users just enter information from their company's utility bills and the square footage of their buildings. The program allows Cohen to compare his building with other similar buildings in the community and see which improvements have paid off.

Pursuing greater energy-efficiency has been a good financial decision for the credit union, he said, but it also keeps the institution in line with its members' values.

Boulder Creek Quality Inn and Suites received an EnergyStar rating earlier this year, one of several Boulder businesses to do so already.

General Manager Dana Sailer-Mielke said using Portfolio Manager allows her to track energy and water savings almost immediately after the hotel makes an upgrade. It also provides "validation" for the work they've done.

Boulder officials have said they plan to introduce mandatory commercial energy standards in the future, similar to the SmartRegs program that created mandates for residential landlords.

The Boulder Chamber of Commerce has expressed concerns about that idea. Chamber officials say that commercial and industrial uses are far more diverse in their energy needs than residential customers, and mandates could impose financial hardships on struggling businesses.

Chamber spokeswoman Angelique Espinoza said the threat of pending mandates could lead some businesses to worry about cooperating with the city, but widespread participation in voluntary programs might persuade the city to delay requiring certain energy-efficiency standards.

She said the Chamber is working with Boulder to spread the word about the pilot program and other energy-efficiency programs available from the city. Portfolio Manager has the potential to help businesses identify savings, while the energy coaches provided by the city can save business staff time and money.

Espinoza said she would encourage all Boulder businesses to consider participating in the pilot program.

"Businesses are going to make investments not because they see regulations in the future but because it makes good business sense," Espinoza said. "We're hopeful that progress made by people using this tool will make it less necessary for the city to move quickly or even at all toward mandates."

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